A Stranger With My Face Horror Film Festival and Horrormathèque screening of Next of Kin

I began my work life as an actress pure and simple – employed to animate other people’s stories and now almost 40 years later, I’m still mucking with story but at a slower pace and on my terms. 

In 1982, I worked on a film Next of Kin beautifully directed by Tony Williams. The film faded but with the documentary Not Quite Hollywood and Quentin Tarantino’s rave, this sleeper has found a new fan base. It was screened this week at ACMI, an event organized by Briony Kidd to coincide with visiting writer, film programmer and co founder of the Blue Sunshine Psychotronic Film Centre, Kier-La Janisse

Here I am squeezed between Kier-La (left) and Briony after the screening of Next Of Kin. Two fascinating women: Kier-La is the author of The House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films. I began reading last night and already my head has done a 180 and I’m looking at the horror genre from a very different perspective. Briony is a screenwriter and director and works for the Stranger With My Face Horror Film Festival where the focus is on films by women, promoting discussion around genre and gender. 

For my storytelling friends who are tempted to scoff, I can assure you, this genre sits besides folk tale very neatly!

 Following the screening on Monday night, we decamped to Young and Jacksons. An hour was only long enough for me to learn that these amazing women are original and complex thinkers. It’s true what they say: talking is nice, thinking is fun.

More about Horrormathèque HERE